How bad is flu? CDC reports most of the U.S. with high or very high flu levels - NBC News

Influenza continues its accelerated and furious dispersed crossed the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.

Most of the worst of respiratory illnesses stay concentrated successful Southern states similar Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. There are signs that flu is ramping up successful different areas specified arsenic Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, according to the CDC.

Such wide flu enactment this aboriginal successful the emblematic flu play hasn't been recorded successful the U.S. successful much than a decade. That comes up of what is expected to beryllium a engaged Thanksgiving question week.

"Flu hospitalization rates close present are the highest we've seen astatine this clip of twelvemonth successful the past decade," Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist and squad pb of CDC's home influenza surveillance team, said successful an email.

The unprecedented aboriginal flu surge comes amid a nationwide conflict to power a tripledemic of viruses: flu, Covid and respiratory syncytial virus, oregon RSV. While young children are astir astatine hazard for complications from viral infections, older adults, too, are affected.

As of Nov. 12, "influenza-like illness," oregon ILI, enactment — which includes the flu — was wide crossed the South and eastbound portions of the country.CDC

The flu strains presently circulating, H1N1 and H3N2, thin to impact very young and precise aged people, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious illness adept astatine Vanderbilt University Medical Center successful Nashville, Tennessee.

"Traditionally, we person thought that H3N2 mightiness beryllium much terrible successful adults," Schaffner said. "But it intelligibly is retired determination affecting children astatine the aforesaid time."

Rates of flu "are highest among radical 65 and older and children little than 5 years old," Brammer said.

Is determination a shortage of Tamiflu?

The fig of radical diagnosed with influenza has created isolated shortages of Tamiflu, a medicine antiviral drug that reduces the astir terrible symptoms of flu.

"We don't person any," a pharmacist successful Charlotte, North Carolina, told NBC News, adding that the cause is connected backorder, astatine slightest astatine her pharmacy. North Carolina's flu enactment remains "very high" according to the latest CDC report.

Two different pharmacists successful Indian Land, South Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte that sits connected the borderline betwixt North and South Carolina, said they person had to scramble to conscionable the request for Tamiflu successful caller weeks.

Tamiflu is authorized for patients ages 2 weeks and older. It's mostly astir effectual erstwhile fixed wrong 48 hours of flu symptoms.

All pharmacists spoke connected the information of anonymity, arsenic nary had been authorized to talk connected behalf of their employer.

In an email to NBC News, CVS Health said that it is "seeing accrued demand" for Tamiflu nationwide.

"We're continuing to proviso stores with Tamiflu and different flu-related medications utilizing our existing inventory network, but determination volition beryllium accrued instances erstwhile idiosyncratic pharmacies could beryllium temporarily out-of-stock," the institution said.

Pharmacists who spoke with NBC News said that they'd had trouble obtaining liquid forms of Tamiflu. The antiviral comes successful 2 versions: a liquid and a pill. The liquid mentation is often utilized for children and adults who person trouble swallowing pills.

Nationally, however, the Food and Drug Administration said successful a connection that the bureau is "not alert of immoderate shortages of Tamiflu oregon its generics."

Flu shots are wide available, though vaccine fatigue whitethorn beryllium kicking in, Schaffner said. So far, this season, Americans are "lagging behind" getting their flu vaccines compared to the past fewer years, helium said.

The flu vaccine whitethorn not forestall infection, but determination are signs that this year's flu shot appears to enactment good astatine keeping radical retired of the hospital.

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